Jalapeño Poppers

Making jalapeño poppers at home is ridiculously easy and only requires THREE ingredients! A huge party hit!

Over Labor Day weekend, my mom, sister and in-laws were over on Sunday for our usual get together, and hung out later than usual to watch the end of the U.S. Open while I put Joseph to bed. I came downstairs and found out they had planned an impromptu barbecue at our house for the next day. I had a minor panic attack because, well, I’m Type A to the max and impromptu anything usually makes me twitch (I need time to plan, man!), it was already late-ish, I obviously had no food planned, I was 8.5 months pregnant and had no intentions on going to the grocery store. I think I gave everyone a, um, look, because they immediately started assuring me they would bring the food so I didn’t need to worry about anything.

What I DID have, however, were some jalapeños in the fridge, as well as some cream cheese and bacon.

BOOM. Jalapeno poppers for an easy appetizer, done!

MY OTHER RECIPES

The absolute best part about jalapeño poppers (other than how utterly delicious and addicting they are) is that they are ridiculously easy to make and super simple to scale for a party of 2 to a party of 50. There are no exact measurements here, so just add more peppers, cream cheese and bacon if you think you’ll need more, or use fewer ingredients if you’re feeding a small crowd.

Our small little impromptu Labor Day group absolutely devoured these. I kind of thought everyone might like them, but was surprised when everyone kept going back for more. Appetizer win!

If you’ve never made jalapeño poppers at home, promise me you’ll give them a try sometime soon! They’re so easy and simple, AND I think they could be made even more amazing by mixing some shredded cheddar cheese into the cream cheese. Because, more cheese is always better in my world.

Whether you are having a casual party, having friends over for some football-watching, or just want a snack for a Netflix binge, these are a delicious option!

Ingredients:

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Place a wire rack on a baking sheet OR line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Spread cream cheese in the cavity of each jalapeño half, then wrap with bacon (depending on the size of the jalapeño, you could use a whole piece of bacon, or half). Place on the wire rack or baking sheet.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the bacon is done and crispy. Serve immediately or at room temperature.

It started a fire in my oven. I probably should’ve been smart enough to use a pan with sides to contain the grease, but I used parchment paper on a cookie sheet and the smoke alerted me to the fire. Finished them in the microwave and they were good, but just be aware – it could happen.

I first made these many years ago when I saw them in a Junior Leaque cookbook from my hometown. It’s the exact same recipe and I can tell you they are delicious…seems like I never make enough, wiped out everytime. Great for holiday appetizer, picnic, anytime.

I made these for a big party and they were a huge hit. But what should I do to get the bacon more crispy on the bottom of the peppers? I thought I might partially cook the bacon first, or bake these on a rack. I don’t want to deep fry them. They were gobbled up, even with undercooked bacon on the bottom, but crispy on all sides has eluded me so far. Thanks!

I used grapefruit knife to scrape the seeds and membrane out. Also whip cream cheese and put in pastry bag to put into peppers. A few spices of your choice added to the cream cheese gave extra flavour.

Great idea Karla. These have been in my party food rotation for years since we first ate them in Tucson, AZ. I’ve always used the fresh jalapenos but this year I think I’ll do half with fresh and half using your idea. Thanks, this might start a whole new tradition for us.

I’ve made these twice now. I adjust two things, I use herb cream cheese and I cut the bacon in half lengthwise which works better with the thick cut smoked bacon we love. No matter how many I’ve made (4 doz) there are no leftovers. Great recipe!